Gate.



No. a9a,a5|. A Patented Apr. 29, |902.

E. PHILLIPS.

GATE.

(Application led May 22, 1901.)

(N 0 M 0 d e l 11ml *in* i Y 7 TN: MORRIS mins co.. PHOTO-urna.. A1/summon u c UNITED v'STATES PATENT rrrcn.

EDWARD PHILLIPS, OF NEWPORT, ARKANSAS.

GATE. Y

sPEcIFrcA'rIoN forming part of Letters Patent'No. 698,851, dated April 29, 1 902.

Application tiled May 22, 1901.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD PHILLIPS, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Newport, in the county of Jackson and State of,

In the drawings illustrative of the inven-v tion, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the gate complete and closed. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation illustrating the construction of the follower-block and its attachments.

This gate may be erected in the gatewayzo opening in any fence, and for the purpose of illustration I have shown it arranged in conneotion with ordinary fence-panels, 1 and 2 representing sections of the fence ou opposite sides of the gateway-opening, the post 3 form- 25 ing the usual abutment for the end of the gate when closed.

4 5 are two posts set parallel to each other and spaced apart at the gate side of the gateway-opening, between which --the gate slidesr 3o in opening and closing.

The ends of the rails 6 of the fence-section 2 are secured to the inside of the post member 5, and to this post is journaled an antifrictional roller 8, forming a guide for the top 35 rail 10 of the fence, and a similar antifrictional roller 9 is similarly journaled to said post under the lower rail 11 ofthe gate.V

The gate is formed of liorizontalupper and lower rails and 11 and vertical cross-bars 4o 12 and intermediate rails 13, the rail 10 being extended, as shown at 14, and connected by a diagonal brace to the inner end of the rail 11. The intermediate rails 13 are likewise extended and secured to the diagonal 45 brace 15.

Journaled to the inner end of the extension 14 is an antifriction-roller 111, adapted to engage with and travel beneath a guide-rail 16 above the top rail of the fence-section 2, as 5o shown. By this means the gate is firmly and slidably supported by the rollers and is free to be moved back and forth between the two Serial No. 611439. (No model.)

spaced posts 4. 5 and with very little friction, owingv to the fact that all the bearings are upon antifriction-rollers and the gate completely balanced The post members L1 5 are each provided with vertical slots 17 18 in transverse alinement, and slidably disposed in these slots and adapted to be moved vertically therein is a follower-block 19. The ends of the followerblock 19 project beyond the outer sides of the post members 4 5 and have transverseextensions beyond the edges of the slots to form stops to the follower-block to p-revent end movement thereof and insure the retention -of the block in its proper place in the guideslots.

2O is a connecting-rod pivotally connected to the lower side of the follower-block 19 by one end at 20a and likewise pivotally connected to the gate by the other end, as at 21.

The lower ends of the slots 17 and 18 in the post members et and 5 are approximately at the Aupper line of the gate and top rail of the fence, as shown, so that the follower-block 19 will come nearly in horizontal alinement with the top rail of the gate when in its lowermost position to insure the automatic locking of theT gate either open or closed. When thus arranged, the end thrust of the connectingbar 20 will be' so nearly in a horizontal line that the `follower-block will not be moved upwardby any horizontal movement of the gate, and the gate can be released only by elevating the follower-block.

Attached across the posts t and 5 at right angles to the gate are bars 22, connected by their outer ends to the lower parts of the post members .4 and 5 by diagonal braces 23 24,

each 0f the braces being in Itwo parts, as

shown.

26 are two levers, secured by bolts 27 28 to the outer ends of the two parts of the bar 22 and also between the two-part brace members 23 24- and with their inner ends projecting into the slots 17 1S in the posts 4: and 5, as shown, and connected at their inner ends by links 28 29 to the follower-block 19. By this means the followerbl'ock may be elevated and depressed by drawing down or elevating the outer ends of the levers 25 26. The levers 25 26 are by this construction rmly supported between the diagonal brace members IOC 24 and prevented thereby from lateral movement, which is an important feature of my invention.

When thus constructed, the operation is as follows: Vhen the gate is to be opened, one of the levers 25 or 26 (it is immaterial which, as two levers are provided, so that the gate may be actuated from either side) is drawn downward, which action draws the follower-block 19 upward and through its connection to the gate by the connecting-rod 2O likewise draws the gate open. The gate by its free movement over the antifrictionrollers gains considerable momentum, which carries it past the center, and thus places the follower-block in a position to exert the force of its weight and the weight of its attachments upon the gate through the connectingbar 2O to complete the opening of the gate and lock it open'in the same manner as it acts in locking the gate closed.

The extended end 1-1 exerts an important inuence in the action of the gate, as it balences the gate and effectually prevents sagging, and thereby insures a comparatively frictio-nless movement, so that it requires the expenditure of a very small force to actuate the operating-levers.

The gate requires no other fastening to hold it open or closed; but it will be understood that other forms of locking devices may, it' desired, be added without detracting from the efficiency of the preferred means herein described.

What I claim as-ncw is- The combination in a gate structure, ot' the spaced post members 4, 5, provided with alining slots at their upper portions, a followerblock 19 guided in said slots and extending longitudinally beyond the outer sides of the post members, the ends of the follower-block being transversely extended beyond the adjacent walls of the slots to prevent endwise movement of thefollower-block, transverselydisposed bars 22, arranged one on each side of the spaced posts and secured thereto, twopart braces extending from a point near the base of the post to the outer ends of the bars 22, securing-bolts uniting-the ends of the bars and braces, levers 25 and 26 pivot-ed on said securing-bolts and having their inner ends projecting within the slots of the post members, links extending from the inner ends of said levers to a central eye or loop on the follower-block, gate-supporting rollers 8 and 9 carried by one of the post members, and a gate structure comprising a substantially rectangular main-gate section adapted to close the gateway-opening and an inner braced an gnlar portion extending beyond the spaced posts and serving partly to counterbalance the weight of the main-gate section, said gate being supported by the lower roller 9 and being guided by the upper roller 8, an antifriction-roller 14 journaled at the extreme inner end of the extended portion Vand adapted for travel in contact with the under side ofthe top rail of the xed fence,

and a connecting-bar 8 pivotally connectedl at one end to the under side of the followerblock and at the opposite end to the upper central portion of the main-gate structure, substantially as specied.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD PHILLIPS.

Vitnesses:

F. D. WILLIS, I-I. T. KIDD. 

